Justice League: Power of Three
by KotOR-Luvr
Summary: Natasha Grimm is ambushed by a mercenary that was hired by and working for Lex Luthor and his Injustice Gang. Natasha and her two friends, Hayley and Patricia, are all threatened by Luthor. This leads them to be put under the protection of the Justice League. What does Luthor want from them? More importantly, how does he know about those secrets that they kept for nearly 10 years?
1. Hidden in Plain Sight

**A/N: All I can say about this is don't bore me in Civics and Careers classes! My brain will soon wander off into uncharted territory. (And there is A LOT of uncharted territory, up there. So much, in fact. that you'd seriously be questioning my intelligence quotient!) I apologize for not posting chapters on "Harmony of the Galaxy", I don't have my iPod as of now and I wrote the next chapters on my iPod, so I won't be able to post those chapters for a little while. SORRY!**

**NOTE: Also to my reviewer, 'anon', I've seen your reviews, but I am confused as to what you're trying to tell me...**

**DISCLAIMER: I'M ONLY DOING THIS ONCE FOR THE WHOLE STORY; I DO NOT OWN JUSTICE LEAGUE OR ANY CHARACTERS/PLACES/NAMES MENTIONED IN THIS STORY: DC COMICS IS THE RIGHTFUL OWNER! I ONLY OWN MY OC'S!**

**Chapter Genre: Suspense, Friendship, Action**

**Chapter Rating: T**

**Rating Content: Violence, Brief Mild Language**

* * *

_She struggled underneath his weight, grabbing his arms and clawing at them with her nails. She could feel his skin ripping apart under her nails, blood dripping down his arm and onto her neck._

_She could see his face again, a sinister smile playing across his thin lips, slowly applying more pressure onto her throat._

_Painfully, she moved her head; her gun was just above her and slightly to the right. It would be extremely risky, but it was one she was willing to take._

_She reached for her gun, her fingers stretching and straining. With less resistance on his arms, he was able to apply more pressure to her throat. She was quickly blacking out, her muscles falling asleep and her vision blurring, the only thing that was preventing her from completely passing out was her determination._

_Her attacker shifted above her slightly, moving his hands and legs. As he did this, Natasha took in a quick gulp of air and moved her body more to the right. To conserve more air, she moved her head back so she was facing her attacker. She continued to stretch her arm towards her gun, her fingers grazing the handle of her gun and pulling it closer to her._

_Her vision was almost completely black, now, the only thing she could see was the evil grin of her attacker. "Goodnight, Grimm."_

* * *

_**1 Hour Earlier...**_

She worked hurriedly at her papers, briefly scanning over the various files and placing them back in their respective drawers. She checked the clock._** 'About eight-thirty...'**_

"Sad to see you leaving, Detective Grimm."

Natasha Rose Grimm, police detective for the Metropolis Police Force, stood and placed her leather jacket on. "I've worked here for over seven years. I'm needed elsewhere." She grabbed her box of her personal items and walked out of the small office space. "I hear that Gotham is in need of a new officer; besides, with Detective Marcel on the force, you'll do perfectly fine without me."

He followed her as she exited the building, opening the doors when she reached them. "Yeah, but you're our best detective on the force; Marcel is just a rookie. He doesn't even _compare_ to the skills you have! You've helped us put away several criminals, even some of Luthor's Injustice Gang; we need you!"

She didn't bother with a response. She opened her car door and placed the box in the passenger seat. "Natasha," He said sternly, dropping his previous professional attitude. "Listen, nobody suspects anything!"

Natasha sighed heavily and leaned against her car. "Michael, I've been working as a detective in Metropolis for seven years. _Seven_. _Years_. I'm pushing my luck! Remember what happened last time; if one person lets something short of a rumor slip from their mouths, everyone will be in a rave about it and I'll possibly lose my job!"

"You know I would never let anyone hurt you!"

"I know, Mike."

A brief, but painful, silence passed between them before Michael pulled her in for a fierce embrace. "I'm gonna' miss you, sis."

She hugged him back. "I know; I'll call as often as I can."

Suddenly her phone went off. She let go of him and pulled her phone from her pocket, swiping the screen and reading the text. _U still up for the party?_ She sighed. "Well, I gotta' go; they're probably already there and thinking I'm trying to back out, again."

Michael nodded. "Sorry I can't make it to your party."

Natasha walked around the vehicle and shrugged. "You just owe me for next time, then." She smirked and he chuckled. "Hey, you're not forgetting anything, are you? You have your gun, phone, your wallet?"

She sighed. "Michael, I'm _not_ forgetting anything; it's fine." She opened the door to her car, leaning down to crawl into it.

"Hold on!" Michael said, walking around and pulling a small box from his coat pocket. It was simple, a dark navy blue box with a white silk ribbon tying it together, and it could fit easily in his hand. He handed it to Natasha.

She looked to him then back to the box. She delicately untied the ribbon and pulled off the lid. Inside the small box was a necklace.

She pulled it out of the box and held it in her hand. It was a thin golden chain, and in the middle of the chain was a golden, heart shaped locket, encrypted with intricate swirls. She opened the locket to reveal a compass.

"I saw it in the store, and it made me think of you." Michael said. "You always say 'follow what your heart says', so..."

Natasha smiled, placing the delicate piece of jewelry around her neck. "Thank you, it's beautiful!"

"Just like you." He smile and hugged her again, although more tightly than the last time. "Happy birthday, Tasha."

They stood like that for several moments, not caring if anyone saw them. Natasha let go of her brother, kissing him on the cheek. "I'll be careful, Mike." He smile and nodded, stepping back so she could enter her car.

She closed the door and waved to Michael, and he waved back to her. She backed out of the parking lot and onto the busy roads of Metropolis, driving in the direction of the country-side.

Her house was way out in the country, nearly five miles away from the city. She hated the noisy cities, and preferred the quietness of the country, like her old-country styled home back in London.

Natasha's phone went off again. She tapped the screen and put it on speaker so she wouldn't be distracted from the road. "Patricia, chill, I'm on my way!"

A response came from the phone, but it wasn't the familiar voice of Patricia's. "Then I suggest that you hurry."

A spark of panic ignited in Natasha as she heard the unfamiliar voice. "Who is this?" She demanded.

The line went dead and Natasha gripped the wheel tightly. It was a trap, obviously, but laid out by whom? Almost everyone she had made enemies with were either dead or behind bars, and none of those enemies even knew about Hayley _or_ Patricia, or where Natasha even lived.

Natasha rapidly shifted the gear stick and slammed onto the gas pedal, speeding through the various lines of cars. She knew, even without a threat from an unknown caller, that both of her friends were in extreme danger.

A danger that could be a risk to them all.

* * *

Natasha stopped on the side-road leading to her house, turning off her car. It would be very stupid to just drive up into the lane way, especially with a man who potentially had harmful or even murderous intent.

She opened the glove compartment and pulled out her gun, checking to see that it was loaded.

Satisfied, she exited the car and ran for her house, making sure that she stuck to the ditches and grassy areas. It was almost completely dark outside, so unless her unknown caller had a pair of night-vision goggles on, it would be impossible to spot an African American woman with black hair, a black leather jacket and dark blue jeans running in the long, dark grass.

By the time she reached the house, the full moon was completely out and the coyotes were already howling. There were no lights on in the house. The porch lights were also off which was odd, considering that they were on a solar sensor grid; they would turn on the second it was too dark. Another odd thing was that neither Hayley's or Patricia's cars weren't parked in the lane way.

Odd immediately sharpened her senses.

She peered into the front windows. "P.C., Scott, you guys in here?" She whispered.

No response came, only the distant howl of a coyote and the hooting of an owl answered her. Natasha checked the door, twisting the knob slowly. It opened without any hesitation, it's hinges squeaking. Natasha had locked it before she left. She reached inside the door and flipped the switch, but the lights did not turn on.

She pointed her gun forwards in preparation, stepping inside the seemingly lifeless house. "If this is some sort of prank from the lot of you, it's in _very_ poor taste!"

Again, nothing. Natasha cautiously walked through what she knew was the living room, the moon was her only source of light. Even with wedge-heeled boots, she barely made a noise as she walked on the wooden floor boards.

She slowly made her way to the kitchen, still pointing her gun forward. She pressed against the wall and peeked into the kitchen. It was completely dark, the curtains on the windows drawn closed. The only source of light available was the candles on what she assumed was a cake. Three of them, evenly placed in a straight line. The flames on the wicks barely moved, suggesting that there was no draft or any sort of wind in the room.

She put her gun to her side and approached the burning candles. She brought her face close to them, inspecting them carefully, holding her breath as to not disturb the flames.

The icing was still moist, suggesting the cake had just been taken out of the box or whatever it had been packed into. The candles only had melted wax where the source of the flames were, and no wax had dripped down the length of the candles; they had just been lit just moments ago.

She looked around the rectangular cake, seeing a single match beside it as well as the kitchen knife._** 'Hayley and Natasha must have been preparing the cake before they were kidnapped... or something...'**_ She removed one hand from her gun, placing a finger above the match. She watched as small wisps of smoke moved around her finger, heat building up on her skin as she edged her finger closer. She moved her hand back to her gun; these candles had been lit _very_ recently.

Natasha looked back to the candles, the flames stuttering and shifting as a short breeze blew past them.

Natasha breathed in sharply and turned around, firing her gun. The brief flashes of light provided by the gun exposed someone dodging out of the way of the bullets.

It was a man, possibly the one who had called her.

She didn't dare to move, she only kept her gun pointed forwards. She called out, "This is Detective Natasha Grimm; come out with your hands-"

She was cut off as someone wrapped what felt like chain over her head and on her neck, tightening it viciously around her delicate throat. Natasha dropped her gun and wrestled with her attacker, pulling at the chain in a futile attempt to loosen it. She stepped on his foot, digging her heel into his toes, but the man barely even flinched and only tightened the chain around her neck.

Natasha was slowly losing consciousnesses, her vision blurring and growing dark. In a last attempt at survival, she swung her arms over her shoulders and grabbed her attacker's arms, swinging him over her head and slamming him onto the ground. He landed with a grunt, dropping the chain somewhere on the floor.

Natasha rubbed her neck and gasped for precious air, leaning against the wall. Her attacker recovered quickly, picking himself up off the ground. Natasha lunged for her gun, which was so _conveniently_ lying in front of his foot. He saw this and kicked it out of her reach and into the living room, leaving her defenseless.

She froze, looking up at her attacker. They stared each other down for several moments, neither of them backing down, daring each other to make the first move.

He suddenly grabbed one of the kitchen chairs and swung it at her, forcing her to dodge out of the way in order to avoid suffering a head injury. The second she recovered she saw him lunging for the knife, it's stainless steel surface gleaming in the light of the flames. Natasha slowly backed up, her hands up and in front of her. _**'Don't attack, yet; just let me reach my gun...' **_She prayed silently.

He caught onto her game quickly and lunged forward, pushing her onto the floorboards.

With the help of the moonlight, she was able to catch a short glimpse of the man's face: sharp and angled, his eyes almond shaped and his cheekbones very well defined.

He brought his arm up, which held the knife, and brought it down on her rapidly. Before the knife reached its intended target, Natasha grabbed his arm with both hands, momentarily stopping her impending doom.

She growled at him, straining under the pressure of holding his arm at bay. Slowly but surely, the knife edged closer and closer to her face, making her panic under the stress and weakening her hold on his arm.

She brought her leg up and roughly kneed his groin, making him drop the knife and groan at the pain. Natasha shoved him off of her, sitting up and looking around the room desperately. Her eyes fell onto her gun, which lay just two meters ahead of her.

She stood up and moved towards her only chance of survival, her hopes soaring. Her attacker, suddenly realizing his target had recovered, turned over and grabbed her ankle. She, as well as her high hopes, plummeted to the ground, landing with a grunt.

Determined, Natasha tried to crawl forward, stretching her arm and reaching for her gun. She was tugged back and forced to turn on her back. Her attacker crawled forward and straddled her hips. He grabbed her neck and pushed his thumbs into her windpipe, cutting off her ability to breath.

She struggled underneath his weight, grabbing his arms and clawing at them with her nails. She could feel his skin ripping apart under her nails, blood dripping down his arm and onto her neck.

She could see his face again, a sinister smile playing across his thin lips, slowly applying more pressure onto her throat.

Painfully, she moved her head; her gun was just above her and slightly to the right. It would be extremely risky, but it was one she was willing to take.

She reached for her gun, her fingers stretching and straining. With less resistance on his arms, he was able to apply more pressure to her throat. She was quickly blacking out, her muscles falling asleep and her vision blurring, the only thing that was preventing her from completely passing out was her determination.

Her attacker shifted above her slightly, moving his hands and legs. As he did this, Natasha took in a quick gulp of air and moved her body more to the right. To conserve more air, she moved her head back so she was facing her attacker. She continued to stretch her arm towards her gun, her fingers grazing the handle of her gun and pulling it closer to her.

Her vision was almost completely black, now, the only thing she could see was the evil grin of her attacker. "Goodnight, Grimm."

Suddenly, a gun shot rang out in the house. The smile on his face disappeared and his grip on her throat slackened, his body slumping forward against her.

Natasha shoved him off her body, gasping and coughing as she breathed for air. A light turned on in the living room, making her wince.

"Natasha, are you alright?!"

She was lifted off of the floor and pulled into a fierce embrace. She smacked his arm. "Can't breath..." She gasped out.

Michael released her from his embrace, shaking her shoulders fiercely. "What the hell happened, Tasha?!" He demanded, staring into her eyes. He was angry, she knew, because he almost _never_ swore unless he was angry. At her, probably, but at her attacker, most definitely!

"Call... Kidnapped... Ambush..." She spoke between breaths, attempting to communicate the events that had happened.

"Ok, catch your breath, I need to call the police."

Michael stood up and pulled out his phone, rapidly dialing the police. Natasha looked beside her and at her attacker, whom she immediately recognized as William Smith; a mercenary for hire. His eyes looked out into space, blood splattered on the side of his head where Michael had shot him.

"Why... are you here?" Natasha asked.

He turned around and shrugged slightly. "You forgot your wallet."

* * *

"Ok, why do they keep placing this blanket on me? I don't need it."

Michael sighed. "It's for the shock, Tasha; you were just attacked in a dark house and choked nearly to death by a creepy man."

She shrugged. "What 'shock' am I in?"

He shook his head at her.

"The man was William Smith," Police Commissioner James Harvey stated. "He had recently escaped prison thanks to the assistance of Lex Luthor and his Injustice Gang."

She nodded. "Yes, yes, I know all of this. The only thing I wish to know is if you found out anything about my friends Hayley Mackintosh and Patricia Collins!"

Michael gripped her hand. "I just called them, they said that they hadn't even gotten here, yet. Hayley was held up at work and Patricia was caught in traffic; they're fine, Natasha."

She nodded. "Alright, good. So he must have been using the home phone to call me..."

"Natasha," James said firmly. "I honestly don't think you're understanding what this all means."

She shrugged. "Somebody tried to kill me, so what? I'm a police detective; it's happened before."

James sighed and shook his head. "You didn't see the note, then?"

Natasha shook her head and held out her hand. James placed a small yellow sheet of paper onto her palm. She opened it and read the message aloud. "'He was your first and only warning; proceed to put our men in prison, all three of you will have your secrets revealed to the public. However, if you still proceed to work, you, Hayley, and Patricia will all suffer the lethal concequences. -LL'." She handed the note back to James. "So?"

"This man was hired to kill you; hired by and working with Lex Luthor and his Injustice Gang!" He shouted at her.

Natasha looked over and saw two people running towards her. She stood up and moved away from the Ambulance van, dropping the blanket and running towards them.

She pulled the two women in for an embrace. "Hayley, Patricia, I'm glad you're both safe!"

Hayley smacked her arm. "Of course we're alright, ye' ninny! What matters is if yer' alright?!"

Patricia nodded. "Yeah, Michael called us and told us what happened!"

Natasha nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine; I'll have a few bruises, but I'll be fine."

"Excuse me, ladies," James interrupted. "But now that you're all here, I may as well tell all of you." Natasha growled and turned around.

"Because of the circumstances, and because of the threat being directed at the three of you, you're being put under protection-"

Patricia scoffed. "You're kidding; being put under protection of _who_? This isn't the first time Natasha's been attacked and threatened!"

James stomped one foot down and growled. "Dammit, woman, let me finish!" He shouted.

He paused, looking between the three women. "Now, you all were threatened to be killed by Lex Luthor and his Injustice Gang," he held up a hand when Patricia opened her mouth. "Under normal circumstances, if it were just a crime boss or gang leader, we would just hunt for them and put them behind bars. But this isn't normal; you were all threatened by a psychopathic crime-lord and his gang of super-powered villains."

He waited, allowing his words to sink in. They all looked at each other, understanding passing between them. "So, to ensure your safety, we're all putting you under the protection of the Justice League."

He flinched as strings of protests came from the three women, demanding further explanation. He held up his hands. "_It's already been decided_," he shouted over them. "There are _no further_ negotiations to be made! You're being transferred to the Watch Tower in two hours. _That_. _**Is**_. **_FINAL_**."

They all stayed silent, seeing that they had no further options other than to accept things as they were.

"Fine." Natasha growled, her mouth pressing into a thin line.

James nodded. "Good, since that's all out of the way; you and your personal belongings will be transferred to the Watch Tower in two hours, no longer than that!"

He turned and headed back towards the crime scene, not uttering another word.

The three women stood there, completely speechless at these sudden turn of events. Patricia scoffed. "Well, it's official; he's a complete and utter _prick_!" Hayley growled under her breath. "Are ye' _sure_ you do no' want me ta' put a snake in his car?"

Natasha shook her head. "Listen, James is right; this isn't like any other threat I've received." She turned to face her friends. "Lex not only threatened me, but he also threatened you guys as well, and that threat was a death-threat, not to be taken lightly." She dropped her voice to a low whisper, checking to make sure nobody was listening. "He knows about our powers."

"**What**?!" They asked in unison.

"I'm as surprised as you guys are, but he threatened to 'reveal our secrets to the public'." Natasha shrugged. "I'm sorry, guys, but James is right, in this case."

"So, what, we're just supposed ta' sit on our rear ends and wait 'till Luthor and the Injustice Gang are behind bars?!"

Natasha looked to the fiery red-head. "I'm afraid so." She smirked. "But we don't have to do so, _quietly_, mind you."

Hayley nodded, smiling broadly. "It just so happens that I have little Fang in me' car, right now..."

Patricia and Natasha nodded. "I think it's about time that James made a new friend..."

Hayley jogged to her car, and Natasha walked back over to Michael, a grim expression on her face. "Please, don't tell me that _you_ suggested that idea to James."

"Ok, I won't."

She scoffed. "Michael, how could you just-"

"Natasha, _please_! You have to know when things are too much, and _this_," He gestured around him. "Is too much! He intends to kill you and your friends! Not only that, the _Injustice Gang_ will be on your asses!"

Natasha sighed in defeat, hanging her head. "I know, I know..."

Michael hugged her, rubbing her back. "It's for the best, besides, you'll be per-"

He was interrupted by a loud, almost feminine shriek. He let go of Natasha and looked around, seeing James falling from out of his car seat and crawling away. "_Hayley_, _get you ass over here_, **_right now_**!"" He shouted.

Natasha smirked. "I see he's made friends with Fang."

"What?" Michael asked, confused.

She shrugged. "Oh, nothing, other than 'Karma'; because payback's a bitch!"

Patricia laughed.

* * *

**A/N: Yup, that action scene took me a while to write, so I hope you all enjoyed that! I know, this chapter may seem a little boring, but the Justice League will be involved soon, I promise! Until next time.**

** -KL.**


	2. We Got The Power!

**A/N I wasn't expecting the story to take off as much as it did, and I apologize for not getting this updated sooner. I sort of lost my muse with the story, but I'm trying to get it back. Also; it has been a while since I've watched the show, so I don't really know the name of the prison that we see most of the Justice League villains are in. Sorry about that.**

**Chapter Genre:**

**Chapter Rating: K+**

**Rating Content: Brief Mild Language**

* * *

She couldn't help but feel agitated by their current situation. She knew this wasn't the case, but she felt as if they didn't trust any of them with the way they were asking questions.

They had been kind enough to show them their rooms before taking them to their 'meeting room', but the line of questions was already bad enough without the Dark Knight leading in the 'interrogation'. Natasha had started to become sick and tired of his attitude!

"How would Luthor know you if you never met him personally?"

Hayley shrugged helplessly. "Well, Ah have counselled some o' his Injustice Gang before, but Ah doubt that he'd know about us that way."

"Did you tell any of them about yourself or Patricia or Natasha?"

The Scottish woman shook her head. "Nae, never! Ah told them a wee bit about myself if it helped with their counselling, but Ah never told them much!"

"What _did_ you tell them?"

Natasha slammed her fist into the metal table, startling everyone who sat around it. "Look, I know Hayley more than you do and _ever_ will, and I know for a fact that she would never share any sort of personal or valuable information with criminals; so get off her back!"

Flash's eyes widened in shock. He had never seen anyone talk to Batman like that before, and the ones who did would often regret it later. "Somebody's touchy..." He mumbled.

Batman narrowed his eyes at the British woman, clearly annoyed with her. "Luthor would've only known about Hayley, considering she's a Psychologist for most of the criminals at the prison."

Patricia banged her head on the table and groaned. "For the 'Worlds Greatest Detective', you really are stupid."

Hayley smacked her arm. "So are ye, in this moment!" She hissed.

Patricia lifted her head and sighed. "He doesn't scare me, Scott." She turned her attention back to the Dark Knight, who visibly grit his teeth together. "Hayley is a Psychologist, yes, but Nat is also a cop. She's helped put most of the criminally insane people back behind bars, so that's two people that Luthor could've known about. He also is a technical genius, he could've hacked into something or payed someone to find out more information about us. We don't have Facebook or anything like that, but there are other ways to find out our personal information."

Superman leaned onto the table. "That leaves you. How could he have known you if you've never had any contact with criminals?"

The Southerner shrugged. "Beats me. I'm just a mechanic and computer tech."

Natasha nudged her and whispered something into her ear, making Patricia visibly pale. "That could've done it, yeah."

"What could have?" Superman asked.

She tittered nervously and cracked her knuckles individually, a nervous habit. "Well, I, uh... I may have actually done some mechanical repairs for LexCorp on a car or two..."

Hawkgirl then stated, "This doesn't explain how Luthor knew about all of them knowing each other personally. How could he have known about their friendship?"

Suddenly, the entire table went up in conversation, trying to think of how Luthor could've known about the three women. As they conversed, Natasha quickly shot her two friends a message. _'He knows about our powers as well. Did anyone get their blood work done recently? Or seen their doctors?'_

Patricia shrugged and shook her head and Hayley sent back a message, _'I did see my doctor maybe about two weeks ago, but not other than that.'_

Natasha was about to shoot them another message but suddenly stopped as she felt a third voice in their conversation. It was there, but it didn't speak. It wasn't Patricia, that much Natasha knew. There had to have been someone else in the room who could...

Thinking fast, she shielded Hayley's mind and then sent out a mental shock wave, hoping to catch the source of the third voice.

She heard a chair scrape against the ground, signalling someone had stood up suddenly. She looked to see the Martian standing, holding his head in his hand as his eyes were clenched shut in pain. As soon as he had stood, the rest of the League had stopped speaking among each other and immediately became concerned for the Martian.

"J'onn, what happened?" Batman demanded.

She glared at J'onn. "Didn't your mother ever teach you not to eavesdrop on other people's conversations?"

Hayley's head snapped to her friend. "Hold on, _he's_ the telepath?!"

"You knew someone in here was telepathic?" Natasha asked.

She sharply nodded her head. "Aye. Didn't ye?"

Patricia tapped Natasha's shoulder. "You didn't hurt him, did you?"

"She sent a mental shock wave. I am uninjured." J'onn responded, now having regained his previous composure.

The Dark Knight stood from his own seat, towering over the three women threateningly. "Do tell, what other things are you capable of?"

Natasha then stood, undeterred by his threatening stance. "That is for us to know, and for you to never find out."

"I beg to differ, Grimm. This may be the reason for Luthor's threat against you."

"And we can handle it if it is the reason. We don't need your so-called 'protection'."

Patricia tapped her shoulder again. "What?!" Natasha snapped.

She pointed to Batman. "I have to agree with him. What's the harm of these guys knowing about our powers?"

"There's plenty of harm in it! Remember what happened the last time we trusted someone with that information?"

Patricia rolled her eyes and groaned. "Well, y'all know Nat is a telepath." She pointed to herself. "I can teleport and I can 'hack' into any machine I touch, hence why I'm a mechanic."

She pointed to Hayley, who quickly held up her hand. "Ah can tell them myself, thank ye!" She crossed her arms and leaned back in the chair. "Ahm an empath, hence why Ah chose to work as a Psychologist. Ah also can shape shift."

Flash's ears practically perked up at that. "Cool! Can you turn into an animal? Can you turn into one of us? Is this even your real form."

"Aye."

His brows furrowed. "Huh?"

"Aye, meaning yes. To all o' those questions."

"That's awesome!"

Natasha sat back down and sighed, resting her head in her hands. "Don't indulge the kid, Hayley..."

She knew she could trust the Justice League, but that still didn't ease her mind. They had kept their powers to themselves for over a decade, the only other person knowing about them being her brother Michael. And she knew for a fact that Michael would _never_ sell them out, no matter how much money he was offered!

"It doesn't matter how Luthor knew about them or their powers," Diana stated, an authoritative tone apparent in her voice. "We can figure that out later. For now, we have to focus on keeping them safe."

"And finding out the extent of their powers." Batman added. "We need to know just how much they're capable of doing, and how dangerous they could be."

All three women glared at him, clearly unimpressed with his implications. "And if we refused to show you?" Patricia asked.

"We could just lock you up, then."

She shrugged. "And I could teleport out of my room and then hack into the entire Watchtower system and shut it down. We'd all be out of here quicker than you could count to three!"

Green Lantern quickly addressed the young woman. "Try to understand, in order to find out why Luthor would even take an interest in you three, we need to understand you better. Help us so we can help you."

Patricia shrugged and smiled. "I know that. I'm just giving him a hard time. I'm fine with showing y'all what I can do." She then pointed to her two friends. "I can't speak for them, however."

Hayley nodded. "Aye, Ahm fine."

Natasha sighed again. She was a proud and stubborn woman and, although the Justice League were good people, she didn't trust them. Specifically, she didn't trust Batman. She had done some research on the vigilante and she didn't like what she had seen. As far as she knew, he tended to exploit weaknesses, even in his own allies. If he knew about their powers, who knew what he'd do with the information!

She wasn't ready to compromise. "You two can show them. But I have no obligation to. Besides, there isn't much to telepaths anyways."

/ / /

"So, should I get all science-y about this? Or should I just...?"

Batman narrowed his eyes.

Patricia just shrugged. "So, whenever I teleport, I have to be able to bend and twist time around me. I have, of course, been trying to slow down time altogether, but that hasn't been very successful."

"Ah still have the scar, Pat!" Hayley said.

Patricia licked at her lips. "Right... that was just an accident, but anyways; teleportation can take a lot of concentration but, because I've been doing it for so many years, all it takes is just a central, focusing thought and..."

Within the next second, she was gone. Not just gone as in running or something of the like, but just _gone_. The entire League had their eyes open and observing Patricia and one second she was just standing there and the next she was out of their sight.

"It works that quickly and that easily."

Everyone looked up to see her sitting on top of a metal girder that supported the ceiling of the arena, one leg hanging casually over the edge. "It's helped me a lot." She slid off from the girder and, using her teleportation power, she placed herself directly beside Natasha, who was sitting on the ground against a wall. "Like, _a lot_."

"You said you could hack into technology."

Patricia made a 'so-so' gesture with her hand. "Not exactly 'hack', per se, but..." She sat up and looked around the League members. "Do any of you have a phone or something?"

In an instant, Flash was beside her and handing her an iPhone. "I gotta keep it on me at all times." He said.

She took the case off the phone and rolled her eyes. "Why? So you can message your girlfriend?" She hit the home button to see that his phone required a passcode, one that was custom numeric. She smiled. "Watch and learn, my friends."

She immediately began to type in the passcode, almost as if it were her own phone. "Twenty digits is a bit extreme, don't you think?" Patricia asked as she unlocked the phone. "Well, I guess it's necessary, considering how much you text. About five-hundred within a single month. You're also running out of data on your plan." She handed his phone back. "And no, I didn't look any of that up."

"How were you able to do that?" Flash asked, now clearly excited. "You were only on the home screen!"

Patricia shrugged and sat down beside Natasha. "Well, I chose my job as a mechanic for a reason; whenever I'm repairing something, it speaks to me, in a sense. All of the data, all of the energy, it flows over to and through me, telling me what's wrong. Cars are a little harder to understand, but I just need to focus on the energy waves and where they're supposed to be when they're not there."

"Can you try to change things? Like, change the programming or 'download' files?" He asked.

"That's where it can get a bit dangerous. See, I can do a lot with the data that is transacted to me; I can reverse it, destroy it, or even reprogram it. However, the one problem with that is that there can be energy surges and it can cause a lot of things to happen that really shouldn't. I shut down an entire city block, once!"

"Just the internet, Pat." Natasha corrected.

"Nae, the power had gone completely out!" Hayley exclaimed. "That's why Ah almost wasn't able to return my papers on time. Remember?"

Patricia snapped her fingers. "Right, because you almost got caught by the Zoo after being seen by some people running across the campus; I remember that!"

"Well, how else was Ah supposed to get to the teacher on time?"

The Southerner shrugged her shoulders. "Could've just drove a car. Anyways, I've been trying to work on that for a while, but nothing seems to work."

"Is that the full extent of your powers?" Superman asked.

"Yeah."

Hayley pushed herself away from the wall and rolled her shoulders. "Alright. Since Natasha is going last, Ah guess Ah'll show ye mine. As ye know, Ahm an empath and a shape-shifter. Empaths aren't much; we can sense emotions. Ah can communicate with other empaths or telepaths, but Ah have no telepathic powers of my own."

"And what if someone has a mental shield?"

"Doesn't matter." Was her quick response. "Ah can still sense emotions. Although, it can be harder to read some people more than others." She then pointed to J'onn. "Like him. Yer either really old or really experienced because Ah can barely sense anything from ye."

The Martian remained expressionless. "I am both. Even if I was younger, it would not matter. Telepathic abilities do not take that much time to master."

Hayley's eyebrows raised in surprise. "Ah'll have to ask ye about that later..."

"What about your shape-shifting abilities?" Batman asked, crossing his arms. "How do you manage that?"

"Ye see, that's where patience must come in. When Ah first discovered my powers, it took me some time to master shape-shifting. It's hard to focus and calm myself, especially under pressure."

"What does it take to shape-shift, then?"

Hayley raised a hand. "Just hush and let me show ye!" She shook her head, muttering something about a 'pointy-eared bastard', before saying, "So, Ah'll show ye an animal for now. Something calm, because this is a new setting."

"Don't do the dog again, Scott." Patricia warned her. "Remember what happened last time?"

"Ah won't do the dog. Now hush!"

The arena fell silent and Hayley closed her eyes, standing almost impossibly still. She didn't even appear to be breathing. Within the next moment, her body began to change. Her body began to shrink as black fur began sprouted along her skin and claws protruded where her nails used to be. Her mouth turned into a snout and her ears disappeared and were replaced with furry, pointed ones. A tail formed behind her and her hands turned into white paws with soft pink pads on the bottoms of them.

Hayley shrunk to the point that her clothes fell on top of her and covered her completely, hiding the rest of her transformation from the League. Most of them looked almost shocked (mainly Wonder Woman and Hawkgirl) at what had just transpired. Patricia and Natasha already knew what she had morphed into, so they were not alarmed.

The lump under Hayley's clothes emitted a soft _mewl_ before a black and white cat emerged from under them, stretching out and yawning widely. The feline's green eyes looked around the room and it immediately became defensive, raising itself onto the tips of its paws and raising its fur, hissing and growling.

Patricia quickly approached the cat and stroked its back. "Hayley, you're fine. Remember where you are."

The newly-transformed Hayley soon calmed down and she shook her head, shaking the instinct away from her mind. "What was wrong with her?" Wonder Woman asked.

Patricia picked up Hayley and stroked her behind her ears, making her purr contentedly. "Well, when she first shape-shifts into an animal, depending on how strong the instinct of that animal is, it can sometimes take over her mind and make her forget slightly. It also depends on the animal."

Hayley meowed in agreement.

"She doesn't normally shift into a cat, so she's not used to the instincts it has." She continued. "She shifts into a dog a lot, though, so she's used to the instincts that it emits and she is not affected by it when she morphs into it."

"Can she understand us?"

Hayley hopped down from Patricia's arms and walked to Batman, sitting in front of him and nodding her head 'yes'.

Batman narrowed his eyes at the feline-turned Hayley and she immediately growled low at him. "Can you shift into any animal you want to?"

The cat walked casually back over to her clothes and meowed. Patricia moved her finger in a circular motion. "Turn around; she's going to shift back into her natural form."

The League immediately complied and Hayley shifted back into herself. She quickly put her clothes back on. "Yer fine, now. And to clarify, yes and no."

"Explain."

"Yer touchy today, aren't ye, Bats?" She sighed. "Ah can shift into any person or creature that Ah have the DNA of, but other than that, Ahm limited to what Ah can morph into."

Hawkgirl immediately became interested. "How do you gather the DNA you need? Do you need a piece of what you want to morph into?"

"No. But Ahm glad ye brought it up!" She smiled slightly. "Ye see, all Ah need to do is touch whatever Ah want to shift into. Ah focus, concentrate on what Ahm touching or who Ahm touching, and Ah gain the DNA Ah need. Much like how ye download files on a computer; yer mind is the file, Ahm the computer."

"Show us." Batman said.

"No."

"Why?"

"Too dangerous!" She exclaimed. "Look, gaining new DNA and trying to morph into it is more dangerous than ye may think, _especially_ when morphing into another sentient being. Perhaps another time, but not today."

"If your powers are dangerous to use, then it may explain why Luthor wants the three of you-"

"Can we perhaps _not_ talk about Luthor, anymore?!" Natasha interrupted him, standing from her spot on the floor. "Look, we've showed you what we can about our powers. Can you just let things lie for a while?"

The Dark Knight crossed his arms at the woman. "You still haven't shown us what you can do."

She raised her eyebrows and slightly raised her hands. "I can read thoughts; what more is there to show?"

Superman quickly stepped in before another argument could break out. "They've gone through a lot in just a few hours, Batman. We should give them more time to get settled in here at the Watchtower..."

Batman said nothing and quickly exited the arena, the door slamming shut behind him. Patricia huffed loudly and rubbed the back of her head. "Is he always like that?"

Flash was by her side instantly. "He just doesn't trust people easily."

"Doesn't give him any reason to be an ass." She snapped.

Natasha started walking towards the exit. "I'm heading back to my room; I'm tired."

Hayley soon followed. "Ah have some papers Ah need to go over."

Patricia raised her hands. "What am I; chopped liver?!"

The door closed behind them and her hands fell back to her sides. "I guess I am..."

"Are you gonna head back to your room as well?" Flash asked her.

"I actually wanted a tour of the Watchtower." She replied. "It looks like a large place and I don't want to end up getting lost."

The Scarlet Speedster smiled. "Well, I know this place like the back of my hand!"

The rest of the League waited until they were both out of the room before they quickly conversed among themselves. "J'onn, did you get anything from them?" Superman asked him.

"I sensed no deception from any of them, but Natasha seemed to have been holding something back."

"What?"

His brow furrowed slightly. "I... am not certain. She keeps a strong shield around her mind. But there was no evil intent."

Hawkgirl crossed her arms. "I think we should keep an eye on her; if she was holding back on something, it might be something dangerous."

Green Lantern was quick in attempting to diffuse her temper. "Calm down, Shayera. We shouldn't be jumping to any conclusions too quickly, we barely know them."

"No, Shayera is right." Superman stated. "We'll keep an eye on her, but nothing else. See what she does. Other than that, things should be fine with them staying here. As long as Bruce doesn't end up losing his temper around them, that is."

Diana smirked. "Trust me, he won't. These women are strong and independent; they can handle him. Especially Natasha."

"How do you know?"

"I just have that instinct, Clark."


End file.
